Stinkysteve
07-01-2004, 05:08 PM
Story here:
http://www.internetweek.com/breakingNews/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=22103052
Hiding Data In Plain Sight And Sound
By InternetWeek.com
Pictures can communicate more than just an image. A lot more, it would seem. Using steganography, messages and even entire files can be hidden within images. But unless you know what to look for, you're not likely to spot them.
Steganography is becoming increasingly common and can be used to conceal information within both image and audio files. The appeal and threat of these embedded messages is that they don't change the carrier, making it difficult to prove that there is or isn't a hidden message or file present.
The practice is far from new, dating back at least 500 years say experts who note that tattoos often carried hidden messages; invisible ink and watermarks are both forms of stenography.
Steganographic messages are extremely difficult to detect. A Web site, e-mail, or downloaded .WAV file could contain one or many messages, but they will remain hidden from view unless you know how to look for them.
For example, a few bits of bitmap graphic could be altered slightly to contain a message. These changes would be almost imperceptible. The only way to detect the alteration would be through direct bit-by-bit comparison to the original. Messages can also be concealed in digitalized audio files.
Steganographic messages don't need to be encrypted. However, it is possible to encrypt a message and then conceal it using steganographic techniques. This ensures that if anyone does discover the message, they still can't read it.
The process for embedding images isn't particularly complicated. Users can embed data in media files using a security software suite available made by Steganos, a German software manufacturer. The software sells for $60 and allows users to encrypt and password-protect the data they embed.
Steganos is by no means the only vendor. Several free programs are available, including S-Tools, Camera-Shy, and MP3Stego. StegoArchive.com is devoted to steganography and offers a CD with more than 125 shareware and freeware steganographic programs for $21.95.
In a statement to Reuters, Steganos chief executive Fabian Hansmann downplayed the risk, referring to steganography as a paranoid option for advanced users.
However, some believe that the technology is being used for criminal activity. After the September 11 attacks, there were reports that terrorist organizations used steganography to conceal messages in online pornographic images.
Hansmann, speaking to Reuters, acknowledged that Steganos receives inquires from government agencies and police departments constantly and that his company's products are continually scrutinized.
http://www.internetweek.com/breakingNews/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=22103052
Hiding Data In Plain Sight And Sound
By InternetWeek.com
Pictures can communicate more than just an image. A lot more, it would seem. Using steganography, messages and even entire files can be hidden within images. But unless you know what to look for, you're not likely to spot them.
Steganography is becoming increasingly common and can be used to conceal information within both image and audio files. The appeal and threat of these embedded messages is that they don't change the carrier, making it difficult to prove that there is or isn't a hidden message or file present.
The practice is far from new, dating back at least 500 years say experts who note that tattoos often carried hidden messages; invisible ink and watermarks are both forms of stenography.
Steganographic messages are extremely difficult to detect. A Web site, e-mail, or downloaded .WAV file could contain one or many messages, but they will remain hidden from view unless you know how to look for them.
For example, a few bits of bitmap graphic could be altered slightly to contain a message. These changes would be almost imperceptible. The only way to detect the alteration would be through direct bit-by-bit comparison to the original. Messages can also be concealed in digitalized audio files.
Steganographic messages don't need to be encrypted. However, it is possible to encrypt a message and then conceal it using steganographic techniques. This ensures that if anyone does discover the message, they still can't read it.
The process for embedding images isn't particularly complicated. Users can embed data in media files using a security software suite available made by Steganos, a German software manufacturer. The software sells for $60 and allows users to encrypt and password-protect the data they embed.
Steganos is by no means the only vendor. Several free programs are available, including S-Tools, Camera-Shy, and MP3Stego. StegoArchive.com is devoted to steganography and offers a CD with more than 125 shareware and freeware steganographic programs for $21.95.
In a statement to Reuters, Steganos chief executive Fabian Hansmann downplayed the risk, referring to steganography as a paranoid option for advanced users.
However, some believe that the technology is being used for criminal activity. After the September 11 attacks, there were reports that terrorist organizations used steganography to conceal messages in online pornographic images.
Hansmann, speaking to Reuters, acknowledged that Steganos receives inquires from government agencies and police departments constantly and that his company's products are continually scrutinized.